Hazara | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Constituent parts of the Hazara Division of Pakistan | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Division | Hazara Division |
| Largest City | Abbotabad |
| Languages | Hindko Pashto Kohistani |
| Area | |
| • Land | 17,064 km2 (6,588 sq mi) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 6,188,736 |
| • Density | 360/km2 (930/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Hazarewal |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
Hazara (Hindko: هزاره;Urdu:ہزارہ), large parts of which were known asPakhli Sarkar,[1] is a region innorthern Pakistan, falling administratively within theHazara Division of theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It forms the northernmost portion ofSindh Sagar Doab, and is mainly populated by the indigenousHindko-speakingHindkowans andKohistani people, with a significantPashto-speaking population. The inhabitants of Hazara are collectively called theHazarewal.
The origin of the name Hazara has been identified with Abisāra, the country ofAbisares, the monarch of the region at the time ofAlexander's invasion.[2] The British archaeologistAurel Stein regards it as derived from theSanskrit name Urasā, or 'Urasha'.[2] However, the region only came to be known as Hazara afterTimur held control of it in 1399, and assigned it to his local chieftains, namely theHazara-i-Karlugh.[3][4]
Alexander the Great, after conquering parts ofnorthern Punjab, established his rule over a large part of Hazara. The region ofAmb and its surrounding areas have been associated withEmbolina mentioned byArrian andPtolemy's Geography nearAornos, the town chosen to serve as Alexander's base of supplies.[5] According toArrian, the ruler of the region in Alexander's time was called Arsakes.[6]
With the rise ofChandragupta Maurya, the region came under the complete control of theMauryan Empire.Ashoka governed this area as a prince,imperial thronec. 272 BCE. He made it one of the major seats of his government. TheMansehra Rock Edicts, inscribed on three large boulders near Mansehra record fourteen of Ashoka's edicts, presenting aspects of the emperor'sdharma or righteous law. These represent some of the earliest evidence of deciphered writing inthe subcontinent, dating to the middle of the third century BCE, and are written from right to left in theKharosthi script.[7]
The region was briefly and nominally controlled by many rulers foreign rulers, including theIndo-Parthians,Indo-Scythians, andKushans, who promotedBuddhism throughout Central and South Asia. The region reached its height under the Buddhist rulerKanishka. During the Kushan period, Buddhist art and architecture flourished in the area.[8]
When the Chinese pilgrimHiun-Tsang visited the area in the 7th century, it was under the control ofDurlabhavardhana, the ruler of theKarkota dynasty.[9] He mentioned the region asWu-la-shi.[6]
TheTurk Shahi andHindu Shahi dynasties ruled Hazara one after another.Mahmud of Ghazni defeated the Hindu Shahi rulerJayapala during his first campaign. However, there is no significant historical evidence attesting the Ghaznavid rule in Hazara. After the fall of the Hindu Shahi dynasty in the 11th century, the rulers of Kashmir took control of the area, the most notable being under the leadership ofKalasa (1063 to 1089) until the area fell to theGhurids.[10]
In 1399, theTurco-Mongol warriorTimur, on his return toKabul, stationed hisKarlukTurkic soldiers in Hazara to protect the important route betweenKabul andKashmir.[11]
InMughal era, the region was part of thePakhliPargana (district), which formed a part of the largerKashmir Sarkar, which in turn was part of the Kabul Subah after 1586. It was elevated to the level of aSarkar in 1648 when Kashmir became a separateSubah.[12][13][14]
At the beginning of the 18th century, Turkic rule came to an end due to the increased aggression of theSwatis. The most crucial attack was that of theSwatis in 1703, in collusion with Syed Jalal Baba, the son-in-law of the last ruler of Pakhli, SultanMehmud Khurd. Thus,Swatis ousted theTurks and captured this area during the last part of the 16th and beginning of the 17th century.[15][16]
The area became under theDurrani Empire from the mid-18th to the early 19th centuries. The Durranis considered it wise to rule the region through the local tribal chiefs. TheAmb area was ruled bySuba Khan Tanoli during the reign of the Durrani Empire.[17] He was appointed asnazim (area administrator or Governor) byTaimur Shah Durrani in 1775 or 1776.[18] Suba Khan Tanoli died in 1783.[19]
Hazara came under Sikh rule in 1820 when the region was conquered by theSikh Empire led by theSikh generalHari Singh Nalwa. The city ofHaripur was founded by him in 1822 and became the headquarters of Hazara until 1853.[20] He was also appointed byRanjit Singh as the secondNazim of Hazara after the first NazimAmar Singh Majithia was killed by the local populace at Samundar Katha inAbbottabad.[21]
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After theFirst Anglo-Sikh War, under the terms of theTreaty of Lahore & LaterTreaty of Amritsar march 1846 Kashmir and its dependencies—including the hilly region of Hazara—were Sold toGulab Singh in return for a payment of 75 lakh rupees. The treaty described the transferred territory as “all the hilly or mountainous country, with its dependencies, situated eastward of the River Indus and westward of the River Ravi.” Gulab Singh sent Diwan Hari Chand to collect revenue in Hazara, but faced widespread resistance from local chiefs and communities. By November 1846, British-supported forces had to march into Upper Hazara to suppress unrest. On 6 January 1847, after continued instability, Gulab Singh formally returned Hazara to the British-infulance (afterFirst Anglo-Sikh War) Lahore durbar in exchange for territory near Jammu.Major James Abbott was appointed to assess and administer Hazara, and by 31 January 1848 he reported the district to be fully pacified and under British control.[22] Abbott managed to secure and pacify the area within a year. During theSecond Sikh War Abbott and his men were cut off by the Sikh army from supplies and reinforcements from the rest of the British Army, but were able to maintain their position.[23]
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By 1849, the British had gained control of all of Hazara. However, the local tribes were occasionally rebellious, including theSwatis andthe Tor Ghar tribes. The British sent many expeditions against these tribes to crush several uprisings between 1852 and the 1920s, including theHazara Expedition of 1888.[24][25][26]From the early 1930s onwards, the people of Hazara gradually became active in the freedom movement for an independent Pakistan under the active leadership of renownedAll India Muslim League leaders such asAbdul Majid Khan Tarin andJalal Baba. Sometime before theindependence of Pakistan in 1947, the Nawab ofAmbMuhammad Farid Khan Tanoli also developed good relations withMuhammad Ali Jinnah andLiaqat Ali Khan as a political move.[27][28]
DuringBritish rule, the region of Hazara along with the districts ofPeshawar,Kohat,Bannu andDera Ismail Khan, had formed part ofPunjab province, until the western parts of the province were separated to form the newNorth-West Frontier Province in 1901.[29][30][31] The areas aroundAbbottabad andMansehra became theHazara District ofPeshawar Division, whilst areas to the north of this became theHazara Tribal Agency. Sandwiched between the agency and the district were the smallprincely states ofAmb andPhulra.[30] This system of administration continued until 1950, when these two small states were incorporated into the Hazara district.[30]
From 1955 to 1970,NWFP province became part ofWest Pakistan under the One Unit policy, with the Hazara district forming part of thePeshawar Division of West Pakistan.
Hazara is bounded by theIslamabad Capital Territory and the province ofPunjab to the south,Azad Kashmir to the east,Gilgit-Baltistan to the north, whilst to the west lies the rest of the province ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa. The riverIndus runs through the division in a north–south line, forming much of the western border of the division. The total area of Hazara is 18,013 km2.
Because it lies immediately south of the mainHimalayan range, and is exposed to moist winds from theArabian Sea, Hazara is the wettest part of Pakistan. At Abbottabad, annual rainfall averages around 1,200 millimetres (47 in) but has been as high as 1,800 millimetres (71 in), whilst in parts of Mansehra District such asBalakot the mean annual rainfall is as high as 1,750 millimetres (69 in). Due to its location on the boundary between the monsoonal summer rainfall regime ofEast Asia and the winter-dominantMediterranean climate ofWest Asia, Hazara has an unusual bimodal rainfall regime, with one peak in February or March associated with frontal southwest cloud bands and another monsoonal peak in July and August. The driest months are October to December, though in the wettest parts even these months average around 40 millimetres (1.6 in).
Due to the high altitude, temperatures in Hazara are cooler than on the plains, though Abbottabad at 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) still has maxima around 32 °C (90 °F) with high humidity in June and July. Further up, temperatures are cooler, often cooler than theNorthern Areas valleys due to the cloudiness. In winter, temperatures are cold, with minima in January around 0 °C (32 °F) and much lower in the high mountains.
Hazara accounts for a high level ofPakistan's tourism industry.[32] Along theKarakoram Highway are major destinations for tourists including the famousKaghan Valley,Lulusar Lake,Balakot,Naran,Shogran,Ayubia andBabusar Top.[33] The region is known for its scenery and landscapes, resulting in its popularity as a summertime resort amongst locals and tourists.[34]
There are about 29National Parks in Pakistan and 3 in Hazara.
In the 1951 Census of Pakistan, 81.7% of population of Hazara region was reported to be speaker ofHindko (labelled as Punjabi), forming a majority.[36] In the 2023 census, the share of Hindko,Pashto andKohistani speakers was 56%, 20.68% and 14.6%, respectively.[35]
Some major tribes of the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province ofPakistan are as follows.[37]
| Religious group | 1881[40] | 1891[41] | 1901[42] | 1911[43] | 1921[44] | 1931[45] | 1941[46] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam | 385,759 | 94.76% | 488,453 | 94.61% | 533,120 | 95.15% | 572,972 | 95.02% | 591,058 | 94.97% | 636,794 | 95.03% | 756,004 | 94.95% |
Hinduism | 19,843 | 4.87% | 23,983 | 4.65% | 23,031 | 4.11% | 24,389 | 4.04% | 26,038 | 4.18% | 25,260 | 3.77% | 30,267 | 3.8% |
Sikhism | 1,381 | 0.34% | 3,609 | 0.7% | 4,036 | 0.72% | 5,489 | 0.91% | 4,850 | 0.78% | 7,630 | 1.14% | 9,220 | 1.16% |
Christianity | 90 | 0.02% | 236 | 0.05% | 101 | 0.02% | 178 | 0.03% | 403 | 0.06% | 432 | 0.06% | 737 | 0.09% |
Jainism | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
Zoroastrianism | 0 | 0% | 4 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
Buddhism.svg) | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0% |
| Others | 2 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Total population | 407,075 | 100% | 516,288 | 100% | 560,288 | 100% | 603,028 | 100% | 622,349 | 100% | 670,117 | 100% | 796,230 | 100% |
| Note:British North-West Frontier Province era figures are forHazara District, which roughly corresponds to the entire Hazara Region. | ||||||||||||||
Some districts of Hazara have received high scores in education inAlif Ailaan's 2017 rankings:Haripur District was ranked first in Pakistan, whileAbbottabad andMansehra were in the top three for the province ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.[47]
The movement for a separateHazara province began in 1957, when regional lawyers Mufti Idrees and Abdul Khaliq first raised the question of a separate province,Kohistan.[48] In 1987,Hazara Qaumi Mahaz (HQM) was founded by Muhammad Asif Malik advocate, a prominent advocate who campaigned for the creation of a separate province.[49]
TheEighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was passed on the 8th of April 2010, which among other changes, renamed theNorth-West Frontier Province toKhyber Pakhtunkhwa. The name change of the province was met with strong opposition from thepeople of Hazara and protests erupted in the region with wheel and shutter jam strikes.Abbottabad became the nerve center of the movement. On the 10th of April, theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Police fired at unarmed protesters, leaving 7 dead and dozens injured.[50] Allegedly, the firing was ordered by the coalition government ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by theAwami National Party.[51] This is one of the earliest incidents ofpolice brutality in Pakistan in recent years,[52] occurring before theModel Town Lahore incident, whose FIR has not been registered still today.[53]
In 2014, the resolution for the creation of theHazara Province was adopted by theKhyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.[54] The movement slowed down and shrunk to only observing the 12th of April martyrs anniversary, the death of the movement's pioneer,Baba Haider Zaman, in 2018.[55]
In 2020, the movement started again when the government began work for the creation of theSaraiki andBahawalpur provinces.[56] Hazara's leaders sought to include the creation of theHazara Province along with it.[57] A bill for the creation of the Hazara province has also been tabled in theParliament of Pakistan.[58]
In December 2025, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously passed another resolution calling for the creation of Hazara province and urged the federal government to initiate the constitutional process for its establishment.[59]
The study was conducted from October 2010 to March 2014. Seven tribes viz. Abbassi, Awan, Gujar, Jadoon, Karlal, Syed and Tanoli were included in this study. Collection of dental casts, saliva samples for DNA isolation, optimization of PCR conditions, gene clean protocols and data analyses etc. were done in the Human Genetics Lab, Department of Genetics Hazara University. All the selected tribes were analyzed for Hyper Variable Sequences of mitochondrial DNA (HVS1 & 2 mtDNA) for determination of maternal affinities, diversity in the hypervariable region and availability of haplogroups, in different tribes.
The Gujjars also live in Hazara. They are also numerous in Dir, Swat, and Bajaur, where they speak Pashtu, through on the borders of Dir and Asmar they retain their Indian speech.
Unlike other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Hazara division has a sprinkling of non-Pashtun population, represented by Gujars, Khokhars and other hill tribes who speak Hinduki (Hindko) as their mother tongue.
34°50′N73°14′E / 34.833°N 73.233°E /34.833; 73.233
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